Lentil Soup Notes for Jean

Brown never photographs well, but this pic courtesy of Kari Sulivan best represents what lentil soup looks like when I make it.

The lentil soup I make is one of those recipes that I’ve just started making by rote. I grab ingredients, chop, smash and otherwise mutilate, and then poof, into the crock pot where it eventually becomes soup. This, therefor, isn’t a recipe, so much as notes about what I’m doing. Some day I suppose I’ll write this up more formally, but for now this will have to do.

1 large onion bigger than my fist

2 carrots to match the width of my arm when side-by-side, placed from my fingers to my wrist (good god this is so damned scientific)

Chop the veggies into dice or smaller if the lentils are the teeny ones. Smash and chop the garlic. Oil into pan, then spices when hot, stir once, then garlic, onions, carrots, celery and parsnip. Medium heat, to soften, no gold or brown.

Ham hock into crock pot, then lentils, then bacon, then all other ingredients except lemon juice. Cook the crap out of it on low for several hours (8-10). In last 30 minutes, squirt of lemon juice.

Remove hock, scrape off meat, chop, add back to soup. Stir like mad. Hope for the best.

Top with fine dice sweet onions, fresh parsley, sour cream (or yogurt), and have the hot sauce on hand because MrMr can’t control himself.